EXS 24 Logic Sampler Users Group

harmony@... wrote: 
>
> Thanks all for your replies- you confirmed what I had thought, that I 
> need every note sampled seperately to avoid the sampler "time-
> stretching" the sound to achieve pitch change.  And since I am going 
> to use mostly acoustic instruments, the direction I hear from you all 
> is that using various software to "force" pitch change from a single 
> note sample is not an attractive option.  


Yep -- the best sample sets available are multi-velocity sets where every note
is sampled. Hence the pianos with upwards of two gigabytes of samples. 

One essential thing about acoustic instruments is that every note has, to some
degree, a different quality.  For example,  stringed instruments like guitars
and violins have a set of narrow Q resonances which boost particular
frequencies. Historically, violin makers strove for consistency of tone but the
beauty of their instruments' tone is tied up with the note by note variation.
The consistency they strove for (the sort you can get with a synthetic
instrument and an electric pickup) is boring to listen to.  

If you grab a sample of one note and pitch shift it to cover a range, some of
the instrument's tonal character is lost -- character that would be evident in
a note by note sample set. There is also an unnatural quality about the
instument you have created since the resonant frequencies move about with the
transpositions. 

Regards,
Murray